Corsair Darkstar Wireless mouse

This article reviews the Corsair Darkstar Wireless mouse. It is aimed mainly at MMO gamers. It has 15 programmable buttons, including a six-button side cluster; thanks to that, all actions and abilities should be easy to reach. Left, right, forward, and backward tilt gestures (customizable in 10-degree steps) can be used as extra virtual mouse buttons assignable to in-game and productivity-focused actions. The optical sensor is Corsair Marksman, with a sensitivity of 26,000 DPI with 1 DPI resolution steps. The value of IPS is 650, with up to 50G acceleration, and the polling rate is up to 2000 Hz (using hyper-polling). The wireless connection is possible via:

  • Hyper-fast, sub-1ms 2.4GHz SLIPSTREAM CORSAIR WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY,
  • Bluetooth 4.2 + LE

The Darkstar Wireless has a built-in battery, which should achieve up to 80 hours of battery life without backlighting and using Bluetooth. With a 2.4 GHz Slipstream, it should last up to 65 hours. The “worst-case scenario” (Slipstream + RGB) can operate for 20 hours. The mouse is charged using the included (1.8 m) USB cable. You can fine-tune your mouse settings in CORSAIR iCUE, with RGB customization, DPI adjustment, and button remaps conveniently saved on up to five onboard profiles. A six-axis gyro and accelerometer create a low liftoff distance for more accurate tracking, and programmable tilt gestures enable you to tilt the mouse upward to perform in-game actions.

 

DARKSTAR is equipped with brand new OMRON optical switches, which use IR light to detect a mouse click events instead of metal contacts. Using optical switches eliminates the debounce mitigation techniques required for standard mechanical switches. This results in ultra-fast actuation and the lowest click latency possible while providing superb durability and reliability over time. The dimensions are 129.05(L) x 67.9(W) x 43.64(H) mm / 5.08(L) x 2.67(W) x 1.72 in(H). The weight is 96g / 0.21 lbs. The Corsair Darkstar Wireless is available at $169.99/€169.99. The warranty is two years, so that’s pretty standard. Is this product worth its price, given the provided features and functionality? Let’s find out.